Blogs > Day Trippin'

Look here for day and weekend trip ideas and features.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Holiday happenings

Berks barn stars

"Pennsylvania German Barn Stars: A Necessary Re-evaluation of a Folk Tradition" is presented at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Daniel Boone Homestead, 400 Daniel Boone Road, north of Route 422, Birdsboro. For more information, call (610) 582-4900.

Cape May holiday

Cape May, N.J.'s Holiday Preview Weekend is Friday through Sunday. Enjoy a variety of special Christmas tours and events before it starts getting crowded. Highlights include the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. Saturday, holiday lights, trolley rides, Emlen Physick Estate Christmas tours, Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides, Santa's Trolley Rides and more.

It's also a Cape May Wine Weekend. The weekend begins at 6 p.m. Friday with a four-course dinner at the Washington Inn, featuring wines themed to the Sunday Wine School Class. Guests will be treated to individual attention from the wine steward. At 3 p.m. Saturday, visit the Cape May Winery for a tour of the vineyard, an introduction to the winemaker's art, and a barrel tasting with cheese and fruit. At 1 p.m. Sunday, it's the Wine School Class at the Washington Inn. The complete package is $135 per person.

For more information or to make reservations, call (800) 275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

Closer than you think


The Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, N.J., combines art, science, theater and history. A highlight of the museum's collection is "The Guinness Collection" of musical machines and mechanical figures, which document the earliest beginnings of today's home entertainment industry. Other current exhibitions include "Horseplay: A History of Equestrian Sports in New Jersey" through Jan. 3; "Global Patterns: Architectural Photographs by Daniel Nadler" through April 18; and "Sculpture by Sassona Norton and from the Collections of the Morris Museum" through Dec. 31. Upcoming special events include a Rock and Mineral Weekend Nov. 28-29, plus programs for children, adults and seniors. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $7, $5 for children, students and seniors, free on Thursdays between 1 and 8 p.m. Call (973) 971-3700 or visit www.morrismuseum.org.

Heard of Sundance?

DeSales University's Screendance Festival features dance works choreographed specifically for being filmed. Check it out at 8 p.m. Friday or 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the DeSales University Center, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley. Admission is free. Call (610) 282-3192.

Mural story

Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown, features "The Founding of the State of Liberty Spiritual: Violet Oakley's Studies for the Governor's Reception Room Murals" Sunday through May 23 in the Payne Hurd Gallery. In 1902, young artist Violet Oakley was chosen to create 13 murals for the new state capitol building, which was then under construction. The commission was a milestone in American art, for it was the largest public commission given to an American woman at the time. Her murals depicted the story of William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania. The exhibition includes 11 of the original oil studies Oakley prepared before painting the actual murals. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $6, $4 for seniors 60+ and students, $3 for children 6-12, free on Sundays. Call (610) 432-4333 or visit www.allentownartmuseum.org.

Jazz at Symphony

Allentown Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown, offers a jazz cabaret with Lou Czechowski at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Rodale Community Room. Tickets are $20. Call (610) 432-6715.

Comic and Bruce

The State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, presents comedian Stephen Lynch at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $25 and $35. Bruce in the USA, a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, performs at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20 and $25. Call (800) 999-STATE or visit

www.statetheatre.org.
Fermented fast

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail wineries hold a Nouveau Weekend 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday to give the public its first opportunity to try the first wines of the 2009 vintage. Get directions and more information at www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com.
Song and dance

- Municipal Opera Company of Allentown presents "Anything Goes" at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1544 Hamilton St., Allentown. Tickets range from $10-$25. Call (610) 437-2441.

- "Christmas at the Pines" runs through Dec. 27 at Pines Dinner Theater, 448 N. 17 th St., Allentown. Matinees are at 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sunday, with the meal at noon. Evening performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, and Wednesdays in December, with the meal at 6. Call (610) 926-3702 or visit www.pinesdinnertheater.com.

Popera stars

The Canadian popera tenors known as Destino meld opera, soul, gospel and pop at 7 p.m. Friday at the Zoellner Arts Center's Baker Hall, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Tickets are $20, $55 if you're attending the dinner at 6 p.m. (wine and beer cost extra). Call (610) 758-2787 or visit www.zoellnerartscenter.org.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

On the silk road

Star simulation

Penn's Peak, 325 Maury Road, Jim Thorpe, presents 2U and Invisible Sun, playing the hits of U2 and The Police, respectively, at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $19 in advance, $24 the day of the show. Call (866) 605-7325 or go to www.pennspeak.com.

'Neck breaking' show

"There, I've Broken My Neck: A Night of Theatrical Disasters," a one-man show by David Kane, chronicles the stories of theatrical mishaps of famous American and British stage actors at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Allentown Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. Tickets are $13. Call (610) 432-7961.
Small world

"The World of Miniatures," a display of miniature vignettes exploring the seasons and winter holidays, is on view Friday through Jan. 20 at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $6 adults, $3 for children. Call (610) 435-1074.
Performing arts

The Williams Center at Lafayette College, High Street, Easton, presents the Yamato Taiko Drummers of Japan at 8 tonight. Tickets are $28.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is in concert at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $20.

"An Evening of A Cappella" features Lafayette's student-led ensembles Cadence, Chorduroys, Quintessence and Soulfege, among others, at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $6. Call (610) 330-5009.
Silky smooth

Opening Saturday and continuing through Aug. 16 at the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th Street, New York, N.Y., is "Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World." Step back 1,000 years to get a feel for the goods, cultures, and technologies connected with Xi'an, Turfan, Samarkand and Baghdad. Today through Saturday, the museum hosts the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival, featuring documentaries and guest speakers. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. daily. For more information, call (212) 769-5100 or visit www.amnh.org.


Storage style

Scholar Gregory Huber presents "Barn Styles Across Southeastern Pennsylvania" at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Daniel Boone Homestead, 400 Daniel Boone Road, north of Route 422, Birdsboro. For more information, call (610) 582-4900.
Serious about fun

Pittsburgh has a new museum of cartoon art, called the ToonSeum, that opens to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday at 945 Liberty Ave. The ToonSeum will feature new exhibitions every two to three months, beginning with "Enchanted Drawings: A Century of Animation," featuring original art from Gertie the Dinosaur to SpongeBob Squarepants. Rare artifacts in the ToonSeum collection include an animation director's desk from one of Disney's early studios. And yes, there's a gift shop. Admission is $4, $3 for children 5-17. Visit www.toonseum.org, and for advance tickets for opening weekend, go to https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/87269.
To the Jersey side

A Mano Gallery, 42 N. Union St., Lambertville, N.J., hosts the Bucks County Guild of Craftsmen's fall exhibit and sale, "Arts Across the River." On view Saturday through Jan. 15, the assemblage of work features a variety of fine handcrafts, including fiber arts, jewelry, turned wood, pottery and furniture. For hours and more information, call (215) 862-5122 or visit www.amanogalleries.com.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Music, drama and food

Events in the region over the weekend:

Reworked classics

- Touchstone Theatre, 321 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, opens its mainstage season with a new adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," tonight through Nov. 15. It is a show for all ages, but is recommended for older children and adults. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $25, $15 for students and seniors. Tonight's opening show is "pay what you will at the door." Call (610) 867-1689 or visit www.touchstone.org.

Accompanying the show in the Touchstone Gallery will be "The Pleasures and Terrors of a Truthful Reportage: 12 Portraits of Jacques Lecoq" by H. Scott Heist. The exhibit pairs the portraits with their featured use in publications such as the Sunday "New York Times," "Total Theatre" (UK) and "American Theatre." A reception for the exhibit will follow the Nov. 14 performance of "The Tempest."

- "The Sound of Music" was never like this. Doug Elkins and Friends take the recognizable songs from "Sound" and add dance moves associated with George Balanchine, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor and Martha Graham in "Fraulein Maria." Show time is 8 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Williams Center at Lafayette College, High Street Easton. Tickets are $20. Call (610) 330-5009.

Deduce from clues

Friday through Sunday, it's a Sherlock Holmes Weekend in Cape May, N.J. Full weekend packages are available at $180 per couple or $95 per person and include the welcome reception, performances, tour, luncheon and a gift. Weekend overnight packages are also available. The Search for Clues tour on Saturday can be purchased separately. Get more information at (800) 275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

Tasty combo

The Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown, presents "Cocktails & Collecting" from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The fall fundraiser features hors d'oeuvres and open bar. Cost is $125. make reservations at (610) 432-4333, ext. 10 or events@allentownartmuseum.org.

Singing rabbi

Neshama Carlebach performs with the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir at 8 p.m. Saturday at Har Zion Temple, 1500 Hagys Ford Road, Penn Valley. Tickets are $25, $18 for students, $50 for reserved seating, $150 for orchestra seating (comes with a signed CD). Call (610) 667-5000 or go to www.neshamasingsphilly.com.

November already?
Tours of Koziar's Christmas Village begin Saturday at 782 Christmas Village Road, Bernville. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Get a preview at www.koziarschristmasvillage.com. Call (610) 488-1110.

Enjoy the scenery

The 14th annual Trail of Two Cities run/walk over the Ninth Street Causeway in Ocean City, N.J., begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Ocean City Transport Center, 10th and Haven Avenue, and ends in Kennedy Park in Somers Point. Registration is $25, $60 for a family of four. Call (609) 525-9300 or (609) 927-2053, ext. 3101.

Breweriana

The Great Northeastern U.S.

Brewery Collectibles Show runs 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Macungie Park's Memorial Hall, Route 100, Macungie. Admission is $5, free for ages 18 and under.

Colorful costumes, culture

The Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company leaps into the Zoellner Arts Center for a show at 8 tonight. The concert will be in Baker Hall, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Tickets are $28 and $34. Call (610) 758-2787 or visit www.zoellnerartscenter.org.

For women AND men

Comedian Robert Dubac tackles the age-old question of "what do women want?" in the show "The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?" at 8 p.m. Saturday at the State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. Tickets are $30 and $35. Call (800) 999-STATE or visit www.statetheatre.org.

King of horror

Author Stephen King discusses his career during a "New York Times Talk" simulcast viewable at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Allentown Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. Tickets are $15, $10 for seniors and students. Call (610) 432-6715.